You wonder how much a translation will cost you?
I wish I could give you an easy answer, but rates are not set in stone and can vary greatly depending on several factors.
Let’s dive into it!
1. Language pair
Generally, languages with higher demand and fewer available translators tend to have higher rates. For example, translating from English to Welsh might be more expensive than translating from English to French.
2. Text complexity
Let’s say you want to get your marketing content transcreated. To achieve great results, the translator will need to use specialized skills and have in-depth knowledge related to the field. As any specialist, he will therefore charge higher rates than if it were a general translation.
3. Deadline
Urgent translations typically come at a higher cost. In order to save money, always try to plan ahead and provide your translator with sufficient time for quality work.
4. Source file format
Texts in non-editable formats must be converted into an editable format before being translated, a technical work that costs time and money. The translator might need to recreate the PDF layout or edit the mistakes introduced by an OCR (optical character recognition) application when dealing with image formats. As a result, I would advise you to always prefer editable format when possible.
5. Repetitive content
Repetitive content refers to the recurring phrases and sentences that appear throughout a document or website. It is usually charged less than unique content. Let’s say you want to translate a 300-word document and 50 of those are repeated. You will be charged the standard rate for the 250 unique words and benefit from a discount on the 50 repeated words.
6. Pricing structure
Translations are typically billed based on the specific pricing structure and terms agreed upon between you and the translator.
► Per Word
This is one of the most common billing methods. The total word count of the source text is calculated and the translation cost is based on the number of words to be translated.
► Per Hour
For specialized, complex, or creative translation projects that require additional research, subject matter expertise, or extensive formatting, the translator may charge per hour.
► Minimum Fee
Some translators have a minimum fee for smaller projects or urgent requests. This ensures that the effort and resources required to handle even small translation tasks are adequately compensated.
➯ Recap
The cost of translation services can vary significantly based on language pair, text complexity, deadline, source file format, repetitive content, and pricing structure.
It is important to understand these factors and find the right balance between cost and quality to ensure accurate and effective translations.
By choosing to work with a trained professional translator, you invest in quality and engage in a collaboration where your needs and goals are at the center of the project, enabling you to effectively communicate with a global audience.